Lake Abaya and Chamo
Far south in Ethiopia's Great Rift Valley, two magnificent lakes are surrounded by savanna plains, smoke, and mountain peaks. The 551-square-kilometer waters of Chamo and the 1,160-square-kilometer surface of Abaya are often regarded as the most picturesque of Ethiopia's Rift Valley lakes. Few places on the planet can equal the charm of their setting.
Much of this is part of one of Ethiopia's most beautiful national parks, Nech Sar, which was established to protect the endangered Swayne's hartebeest. The village of Arba Minch, located on the ridge of land that separates Abaya and Chamo, has spectacular views of the panorama, which includes both lakes, with Nech Sar on the eastern side and the Guge range of mountains to the west. Because of the breathtaking splendor of this vantage point, it has long been known as the Bridge of Heaven. Arba Minch, which means Forty Springs in Amharic, gets its name from the bubbling streams that rise out amid the undergrowth of the lush forest that covers the steep hills under the town. Everything about this area exudes a sense of untamed grandeur about it all that lingers over the lakes and mountains.
Chamo and Abaya are undeniably an angler's heaven. Hundreds of hippos emerge at night to graze on the grassy shores of Chamo's reed-fringed bays in the dazzling turquoise waters. Chamo is also a haven for thousands of Nile crocodiles, some of which can grow to be seven meters long from snout to tail tip. The balance between predator and prey is maintained here, and birdlife thrives in equal measure.
Furthermore, farming peoples such as the Ganjule and the Guji live on the coasts and islands of Abaya and Chamo. Both have long-standing hippo hunting traditions. The Guji navigate Lake Abaya in high-prowled am batch canoes resembling those pictured on the tombs of the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs.
In the lakes, in the direction of Jinka, the traveler arrives at the Konso homeland, where they perform intensive agriculture on delicately terraced hillsides. The Konso have a rich indigenous culture that manifests itself in haunting song and dance, as well as the weaving of gorgeous thick cotton blankets.
The short 26-kilometer drive from Arba Minch to Chencha involves a remarkable transition: climbing from the lowland's lush tropical forests, through bamboo at around 2,500 meters, into stands of juniper laced with Spanish moss, where cold fingers of cloud grasp the ancient limbs of the trees and the air is chill and bracing.
Dorze villages are great instances of basic architecture, unlike anything else in Ethiopia—towering beehive-shaped structures reaching up to 12 meters in height, interiors dark but large and open with pressed earth floors. To make a smooth and uninterrupted convex dome, the vaulted ceiling walls are covered with an attractive thatch of ensete (fake banana). Each house stands on its own grounds, surrounded by smaller but identical houses: a guest house, a cow-shed, a kitchen, and possibly even a weaving or other labor facility.
Traveling north from Chencha, leaving Lake Abaya and the forest behind, the visitor ultimately arrives at the lively market town of Sodo, which sits on the boundary between the regions of Gamo Gofa, Sidamo, and Kaffa. This is one of Ethiopia's best coffee-growing regions, and it's possible that this is the original home of the coffee plant, where the first trees grew wild before being cultivated and then, in the 14th century, transferred to Yemen and spread from there.
